This invention relates to chilling apparatus for chilling drinking vessels.
The use of vapourising liquid carbon dioxide for chilling glass drinking vessels in order to serve beverages therein at a preferred low temperature is known. In known apparatus an inverted drinking vessel is held over a nozzle connected to a carbon dioxide cylinder and the liquid gas is allowed to vaporize in the inverted glass, cooling the glass by absorbing latent heat of vaporization. It is known for the nozzle to be controlled by a simple timing device effectively to provide a metered supply of vapour.
However, as a nozzle valve is open to emit vapour, the pressure in a supply line from the cylinder to the nozzle drops, causing small gas bubbles to form in the supply line. When the nozzle is closed, some of the bubbles may re-liquefy, but the majority collect and eventually form a gas lock in the supply line, causing the apparatus to malfunction. In order to mitigate this problem, it has been necessary to keep the supply line short and place the gas cylinder close to the nozzle. This means the high pressure cylinder must be located in a serving area in which the chilling apparatus is to be used, which is inconvenient and potentially hazardous.
Known apparatus has lacked safety systems and the controls have been difficult to use.
It is an object of the invention to mitigate these disadvantages.
According to the invention there is provided a chilling apparatus for chilling drinking vessels, the apparatus comprising a reservoir for liquid gas, the reservoir being in fluid communication by pipework with a chilling nozzle under the control of metering means, such that a drinking vessel may be chilled by a metered quantity of the liquid gas vapourising from the chilling nozzle, wherein to reservoir is provided with venting means to prevent a build up of vapourised liquid gas in the pipework and/or reservoir.
Conveniently, the liquid gas reservoir is connectable to a remote liquid gas source for maintaining a supply of the liquid gas to the reservoir.
Advantageously, the venting means includes first valve means, and the reservoir is provided with level sensing means to provide a signal to control means to open the first valve means to vent the reservoir when a level of liquid gas in the reservoir is below a predetermined minimum level and to close the valve when the level of liquid is at or above a predetermined maximum level.
Conveniently, the control means includes timing means and is adapted to close the first valve means after a predetermined time from opening the first valve means if the level of liquid gas has not reached the predetermined maximum level.
Advantageously, the control means provides a warning signal and/or shuts down the apparatus when after opening the first valve means the level of liquid does not reach the predetermined maximum level within the predetermined time.
Conveniently, the metering means includes second valve means for controlling emission of vapourising liquid gas from the chilling nozzle controlled by chilling timing means.
Advantageously, the chilling timing means provides a plurality of predetermined emission times for chilling drinking vessels of different sizes.
Preferably, one of the plurality of different predetermined emission times may be selected by operating one of a plurality of push buttons respectively.
Advantageously, the control means includes interlocking means to prevent the first valve means and the second valve means being open at the same time.
Conveniently, the chilling nozzle is provided with a seat for locating an inverted drinking vessel to be chilled over the chilling nozzle.
Preferably, the seat is provided with sufficient passages communicating between the inside and outside of an upturned drinking vessel to vent vapour emitted by the chilling nozzle into the drinking vessel to the outside of the drinking vessel, for the drinking vessel not to be forced from the seat by the emitted vapour.
Conveniently, the apparatus is at least partially located in a housing and hood means.
Conveniently, the housing is adapted for fixing to counter means.
Advantageously, the hood means is adapted to prevent a head of a user being placed close enough to the chilling nozzle to be discomforted or injured by the emission of vapour therefrom.
Preferably, the control means is adapted to monitor the level sensing means and to close the first and second valve means and shut down the apparatus on detecting a malfunction of the level sensing means.
Conveniently, the apparatus is adapted to use carbon dioxide as the liquid gas.
The invention provides the advantage that a high pressure cylinder supplying the apparatus may be located remote from the apparatus. This is more convenient and less hazardous than arrangements used in the prior art. In addition, it means that changing of cylinders may be conveniently carried out by skilled staff, such as cellarmen, rather than by bar staff.
A preferred embodiment of the invention provides the additional advantage that a drinking vessel to be cooled may be located on a seat to be chilled and does not have to be held down over the nozzle as in the prior art.
In another preferred embodiment, the apparatus is provided with a plurality of push-buttons by which different pre-set chilling times for different size drinking vessels or degrees of cooling may be selected.
Further preferred embodiments provide the advantage that the apparatus will shut down safely when the gas cylinder is empty or in the event of certain malfunctions.